Va. man extradited to face charges of raping Norwalk girl

Tom Cleary

Updated 9:11 pm, Tuesday, September 18, 2012

NORWALK -- A 59-year-old Virginia man was extradited to Connecticut Tuesday to face charges of sexually assaulting his girlfriend's granddaughter 10 years ago.

Edwin Espinoza, of Manassas, Va., was charged with first-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor for allegedly raping a 7- or 8-year-old girl at a family picnic in 2002, according to court documents.

The alleged victim, who is now 17, reported the abuse to police in June after telling her boyfriend about the incident, police said.

The alleged assault occurred when the victim was 7 or 8, and living with her mother and father in a Norwalk condominium, police said. The girl told police that she was at a family picnic and was with Espinoza at the condo's pool area. When everyone else went inside, the girl said she was left alone with Espinoza and a younger female cousin. The girl told police that she told her cousin to go inside, so she wouldn't be in harm's way, and it was then that Espinoza took her to a shower area and allegedly assaulted her.

The girl said she told her parents, but the alleged assault was never reported to police, according to the affidavit.

Espinoza once lived with the girl along with her mother and grandmother, when she was young. The victim told police that Espinoza watched her while her mother was at work and would "look at her the wrong way," and it "made her feel uncomfortable," according to the affidavit, filed on Aug. 21.

Espinosa moved to Virginia about six years ago. He is being held on bond following his arraignment in state Superior Court in Norwalk on Tuesday.